MRI - Acquisition of a high resolution multibeam sonar for coastal ocean research

多波束回声声呐（MBES）测绘系统的获取将激发斯托克顿大学的海洋研究和教育计划，斯托克顿大学是一所区域性、综合性的主要本科机构。本项目将提高沿海演变、演替和淹没结构生态和生境价值遥感研究与教学相结合的能力。硕士和本科生将受益于这项先进的研究技术。35年来，斯托克顿的研究人员一直在协助新泽西州及其沿海社区绘制和评估其沿海资源，并量化由气候变化和海平面上升等多种强迫机制引起的海岸线变化。获得尖端的多波束声纳系统将使斯托克顿研究人员能够扩展他们的测绘能力，并从更深的地点收集数据。这种先进的测绘技术还将有助于斯托克顿的公民科学水下考古项目，并与从人工珊瑚礁测绘和研究中受益的休闲钓鱼、潜水和划船社区合作。MBES系统将为大西洋中部沿海过程的持续研究提供高分辨率和多光谱能力，并有助于沿海演变研究，以填补公认的数据空白。同时收集多个频率的数据可以对海底成分进行多光谱分析，并有助于生境和资源研究的海底分类。高分辨率的能力将有助于绘制人工珊瑚礁的精细结构，并将能源生产基础设施引入水下环境。记录底栖生物栖息地、物理和生物成分的变化以及水下结构对生态演替的影响是具有挑战性的研究问题。这一工具所促成的研究将扩大以前的州和联邦项目，并用于促进区域沿海海洋和入口系统框架的发展。这项研究对于评估支持碳中和能源技术（如海上风能）的决策至关重要，对于衡量潜在的积极和消极影响，以及在已经受到压力的底栖生态系统上覆盖大型水下结构能源足迹的权衡，以及其自身预期的生物群落轨迹，至关重要。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Acquisition of a multibeam echosounder sonar (MBES) mapping system will galvanize marine research and educational programs at Stockton University, a regional, comprehensive, primarily undergraduate institution. This project will increase the capacity to integrate research with teaching in the areas of remote sensing of coastal evolution, succession and submerged structure ecology and habitat value. Masters and undergraduate students will benefit from this advanced technology for research. Stockton researchers have been assisting the state of New Jersey and its coastal communities for over 35 years to map and assess their coastal resources and quantify shoreline change caused by multiple forcing mechanisms including climate change and sea level rise. Acquisition of a cutting-edge multibeam sonar system will enable Stockton researchers to expand their mapping capabilities and to collect data from deeper sites. This advanced mapping technology will also contribute to citizen science underwater archaeology projects at Stockton and to engagement with the recreational fishing, diving and boating communities who benefit from mapping and study of artificial reefs.The MBES system will provide high-resolution and multi-spectral capabilities for ongoing studies of coastal processes in the Mid-Atlantic and contribute to coastal evolution research to fill recognized data gaps. Simultaneous data collection at multiple frequencies allows multi-spectral analysis of bottom composition and contributes to bottom classification for habitat and resource studies. High-resolution capabilities will contribute to mapping fine structure of artificial reefs and energy generation infrastructure introduced into the underwater environment. Documenting change over time in benthic habitat, physical and biological components, as well as effects of submerged structures on ecological succession are challenging research questions. The research enabled by this instrument will expand on previous state and federal projects and be used to contribute to the development of a framework of the regional coastal ocean and inlet systems. This research is crucial in evaluation of decisions to support carbon neutral energy technologies such as offshore wind and to gauge the potential effects, positive and negative, and tradeoffs of overlaying a large underwater structural energy footprint, with its own expected biological community trajectory, over an already stressed benthic ecosystem.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.